Residents: Developer caused damage to lake homes
The city of Conroe is looking for action from a home developer after dozens of residents claimed engineering failures caused thousands of dollars in damages to their Lake Conroe homes.
Residents of Pebble Glen on the Lake presented information and photos during a Feb. 8 council meeting showing water and silt flowing through their properties and into Lake Conroe from the adjacent Water Crest neighborhood under construction by homebuilder DR Horton.
Topping their concerns is a retaining wall that has failed several times. While the wall has been repaired, water and silt continues to flow over the wall.
Pebble Glen resident Juanice McGee said 19 concrete pilings were needed to repair the foundation to her home that washed away in November.
“Current erosion continues today because water is still impacting our property and home,” McGee said. “It is unfair that Conroe residents’ property is damaged by a developer and not held accountable for the damage,”
Residents said they are worried about more damage to their homes as DR Horton continues to build two new sections of Water Crest.
According to information from the city, the preliminary plat for Section 16 was approved in March 2019 with the final approval in February 2020. For Section 17, preliminary plats were approved in April 2019 with the final approval in April 2020.
“Because of DR Horton’s past construction in previous sections of Water Crest, which borders Pebble Glen, and lack of attention in dredging operations, we do not have confidence in what is happening now to the south of us in Sections 16 and 17 where the retaining wall is and
it’s future effect on our neighborhood,” said Jeff Sorrells, a resident and member of the Pebble Glen Property Owners Association.
Built in 2007, Pebble Glen is a gated community on Lake Conroe with about 70 homes.
Pebble Glenn resident Scott Walter said he purchased his home specifically for the boat dock but the build-up of silt in the lake has affected water levels.
“When the lake goes down and (my boat is) sitting on top of that silt and I can’t get my boat in (the water), I’m not going to be a happy camper,” Walter said. “I paid extra for that home to be in a deep cove and that has been taken away from me.”
Pebble Glen resident Bill Gregory said he was concerned about the bridge along Pebble Glen Drive.
“I think it would be a great idea for the council to look at the engineering of the bridge that supports our subdivision, it is the only entrance in or out, it has one culvert that allows the lake water to pass through. With the amount of trucks that have run across it in the last few months, I have suspicions it will not hold much longer.”
Holly James, division president for DR Horton Houston who attended the council meeting, said the builder has been working with homeowners to address the issues.
“We feel like we have addressed a lot of issues with the residents,” James said. “We have made some commitments on things we need to do along the large retaining wall.”
However, while James said she was aware of the retaining wall issues, she was unaware of the extensive damage to the homes.
“If there are other things we need to look at and address we are certainly open to it,” she said. “We have made some mistakes but I don’t think we have made all the mistakes. I think we can come to an agreement on what needs to be fixed and what’s fair for us to do to make it right for the homeowners. We do have a responsibility to build it right and build a community that can last long term and to be a good neighbor.”
“This is a big issue,” said Councilman Howard Wood. “We have a lot of very unhappy citizens here addressing us.”
According to the city, DR Horton has been fined for violations in the Water Crest community. The developer was first fined under the Storm Water Ordinance for Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan violations in October 2018 with the latest fine in December 2022. The storm water ordinance is a requirement for storm water permits to be issued in Texas to show how runoff will flow and affect the land or any structures.
Councilman Harry Hardman said more effort is needed by DR Horton.
“I really need to see a continued and good effort on your part to satisfy these people for the long term,” Hardman said. “My patience is at an end on this. These people have been very patient.”
James said the company has followed the city’s process for permits for the development.
“The development has been built on plans that have been submitted and approved by the city,” James said. “We all know that what we put on paper isn’t how life works sometimes. Engineers can design all they want and we can run all kinds of mathematical equations on what water should do but water does what it wants to do.”
Councilwoman Marsha Porter urged James to continue working with residents.
“We want to come to a resolution, we feel it is very, very important that these residents feel some satisfaction,” Porter said.